Software:Samurai Shodown! 2

From HandWiki
Short description: 1999 video game
For the 1994 video game, see Samurai Shodown II.
Samurai Shodown! 2
Developer(s)Saurus[1]
Publisher(s)SNK
Code Mystics (NS)
Platform(s)Neo Geo Pocket Color
Nintendo Switch
ReleaseNeo Geo Pocket Color
Nintendo Switch
  • JP: December 12, 2019
  • WW: February 25, 2020
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Samurai Shodown! 2 (Japanese title: Samurai Spirits! 2 / サムライスピリッツ! 2) is a handheld game in SNK's Samurai Shodown series of fighting games, released on the Neo-Geo Pocket Color in 1999. Unlike its predecessor, which was released for the monochrome Neo Geo Pocket, it features full color graphics. It was designed as a conversion from the most recent game in the Samurai Shodown series, Software:Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage, and almost all of its story events, endings and cutscenes are derived from its arcade cousin. Almost all of the characters from Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage are included (the sole exception being Hanma Yagyu). It also re-added two series favorites who were not in the arcade release, Charlotte and Yagyu Jubei.

The game was ported to the Nintendo Switch, and was offered as a digital pre-order bonus for Samurai Shodown (2019). This version was later released as part of Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 in 2021.

Gameplay

Samurai Shodown! 2 retains most of the gameplay elements of its source game, albeit modified to work within a 2D setting.

The Slash and Bust modes for each character were retained, with all of the moves from the arcade kept intact (except for Yuga, who had a third form in the arcade, which was mostly excised). The original "CD combo", first introduced in Samurai Shodown IV, was also retained, but simplified and streamlined from its origins.

Being a game on a handheld platform, versus play was not a primary focus, so SNK added in a "Collection" mode, to extend the game's longevity. This came in the form of virtual cards, which could be traded with other people who owned the game, by linking up systems. There are eight per character (four for Slash, four for Bust). Each card contains a different piece of art, drawn in the game's cartoonish art style, and a bonus that can be equipped on characters. The bonuses come in four types:

  • Power Up - Increases the damage done by the character's attacks.
  • Defense Up - Decreases the damage taken when the character is hit.
  • Special Move - Enables the player to do a special move which is not otherwise available.
  • Power Up Special - Makes a particular existing special move do more damage, usually accompanied by additional animations.

Characters

Samurai Shodown! 2 features 16 playable characters; this includes the majority of the roster from Samurai Shodown!, with the exception of Shiro Tokisada Amakusa, Shizumaru Hisame, and Zankuro Minazuki. New characters are marked below in bold.

  • Asura
  • Charlotte
  • Galford
  • Gandara[lower-alpha 1]
  • Genjuro Kibagami
  • Hattori Hanzo
  • Haohmaru
  • Jubei Yagyu
  • Kazuki Kazama
  • Kuroko
  • Nakoruru
  • Rimururu
  • Shiki
  • Sogetsu Kazama
  • Taizan Morosumi
  • Ukyo Tachibana
  • Yuga the Destroyer[lower-alpha 2]
  1. ↑ Non-playable boss character
  2. ↑ Boss character; playable via cheat code

Plot

Since it follows the same story as Software:Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage, the setup is the same. In an unknown land an eerie disturbance disrupts the sky, leading a dark mass to the land. It is the ultimate evil-it is the reincarnation of Yuga the Destroyer. The objective of this being who once more alights to earth is the unification of this world and the Netherworld using the hermaphrodite male and female-that is, the construction of a utopia to become the foundation for the resurrection of the Dark God. As he resumes his search for the hermaphrodites, those turned into puppets by Yuga's magic unleash their carnage to gather the sacrifices necessary for the ritual of utopian construction. These puppets then employ various means to increase the dead and provide sacrifices. Some, for example, become leaders of the Shogunate to carry out ruthless policies, some became common murderers, and still others deliberately incite revolt against the government. Through the influence of the devilish reincarnation, outbreaks of famine and plagues further increase the dead, providing the evil with yet more strength and delight. The mountain of dead gathered by these means is subsequently heaped up on the altar of the Netherworld and fashioned into two pillars in which the hermaphroditic male and female are to be subsequently imprisoned. At this time one man returns to the Netherworld. The name of this warrior who stands directly before these literal pillars of the dead in the darkness is Asura. Master of magic, he is the dark swordsman appearing in this realm to wreak his revenge on Yuga. Regardless, his enemy steadily proceeds with the construction of his utopia. The curtain now rises on this drama of revenge that will engulf both our world and the land of the dead.


Reception

Reviews

  • Archaic.fr[3]
  • Pocket Magazine / Pockett Videogames[4]
  • Defunct Games[5]
  • Portable Review[6]
  • Video Chums[7]
  • The Video Game Critic[8]

References

  1. ↑ Extension, Time (2023-02-04). "Samurai Shodown! 2" (in en-GB). https://www.timeextension.com/games/ngpc/samurai_shodown_2. 
  2. ↑ "Samurai Shodown 2". http://pocket.ign.com/games/12019.html. 
  3. ↑ "Article : Samurai Spirits! 2 Pocket Fighting Series". https://www.archaic.fr/critiques/jeux-video/snk/neo-geo-pocket-color/samurai-spirits-2-pocket-fighting-series/. 
  4. ↑ "Samurai Shodown 2 (par PVG24)". http://www.pockett.net/t444_Neogeo_Pocket_Samurai_Shodown_2. 
  5. ↑ "Samurai Shodown! 2 Review for NGPC (1999) - Defunct Games". http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=review-179. 
  6. ↑ "Samurai Shodown! 2 Review || Portable Review". January 17, 2006. http://retro.portablereview.com/review303.html. 
  7. ↑ "Challenging Indie Games: Part 3 · From rockin' out to biking downhill". 9 September 2020. https://videochums.com/article/challenging-indie-games-part-3. 
  8. ↑ http://www.thevideogamecritic.net/ngpaz.htm#Samurai_Shodown_2
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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